Automatic railroad-switch.



ma/1.700.' PATBNTEII MAY 21, 1907.

E. c. NOR'THRUP. AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED 00T.24, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER C. N ORTHRUP, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOROF ON E-HALF TO EVALYN ROSS, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD-SWITCH.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

katented. May 21, 1907.

Application filed October 24, 1906. Serial No. 340,280.

To all whom, t ntrtjl/ concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER C. NORTHRUP, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railroad- Switches, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to the class of automatic railroad-switches, and its object is to enable the engineer to throw a switch open to a side-track, from his seat in the cab. of the locomotive or from the car, without having to stop.

My invention consists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts which I shall hereinafter fully describe, by reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan View, in the nature of a diagram, showing the application of my automatic switch to a railroad track. Fig. 2 is a side View, showing the arrangement of the main-line key-lever and its immediate connections, and also showing the depressing wheel which is under thecontrol of the engineer, for running down said key-lever. Fig. 3 is a side view showing the depressing wheel and its connections. Fig. 4 is a plan view, enlarged, of the switch proper, with its immediate controlling connections. Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the return key-lever in the Side-track, with its connections.

Referring to Fig. 1, the main-line-track is indicated by the numeral 1, and the sidetrack by 2. The switch proper, designated by 3, is, as far as its construction is concerned, of the ordinary throw-rail character. Its connections, which form part of my invention, are best seen in Fig. 4. Between the throw-rails of the switch and secured to them is the switch rod 4. Upon this rod, near one end, is mounted a slide 5, between the outer face of which and the throw-rail is a spring 6, encircling the rod 4, the outer end of the spring being secured to the rod. Between the inner face of the slide and a collar 7 on the switch rodis asecond spring 8, the end of which is secured to said collar. Upon the other end of the switch rod is a spring 9, the outer end of which is secured to the rod, and

the inner end is secured to a lug 10 on abar 11 securedto the cross-ties 12. 13 is a togglelever, the extremity of one of its members being pivoted to the 'slide 5 on the switch'rod 4, and the extremity of its other member being pivoted at 14 to the cross tie-12. Pivoted to the angle or joint of the toggle-lever 13 is a rod 15 extending from it in one direction, say to the right, and another rod 16 extending from it in the opposite direction. It will now be seen that ifthe rod 15 be pulled upon, that is by a strain to the right, the effect will be to straighten the toggle-lever and bend it over to the opposite angle, which will cause the slide 5 to move outwardly, and, through the intervention of the spring 6', Vto move the switch rod and the throw-rails over in the same direction. Conversely, if the rod 16 be pulled uponto move the toggle-lever back to its first angle, this movement, through the intervention of the second spring 8, will return the switch rod and the throw-rails to their first position. It will be seen from Figs. 1 and 4 that the `iirst of these movements opens the switch to the siding, while the second returns it to the main-line. In these movements, the third spring 9, which from its function, may be called the locking spring, has the eHect of holding the parts at the limits to which they are thrown; for, on the first movement, when the togglelever is thrown to the second angle, said spring 9 is expanded, and its strain is inthe direction to hold the toggle-lever at said angle g and, on the return movement, the spring 9 returning to the normal, will assist in said movement and will ultimately lock the switch for the main-track, practically automatically opening said switch to the mainline. The springs 6 and 8 allow the togglelever joint to pass center to the locked position on either side.

The pull on the rods 15 and 416 is effected as follows Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the key-lever 17 is pivoted at one end to a bearing on a cross-tie 18, and said lever rises at an inclination beside one of the rails ofthe mainline 1, say the right hand rail as the switch is approached. To the free end of this key-lever 17 is attached a link `19, the lower end of roo which is connected with the horizontal arm of a bell-crank lever 20, pivoted at its angle to a bearing on another tie 21. To the extremity of the vertical arm of this bell-crank lever is attached a rod 22, (or any number of them) which through a swinging arm 28, (or any number of them) pivoted to the crosstie, is connected to the toggle-lever rod 15. At any suitable distance in the siding 2, in practice, far enough to permit said siding to be used to its full capacity, is pivoted a second key-lever 24, the arrangement of which is best seen in the detail of Fig. 5. Its free extremity has a link 25 which is connectedV with a bell-crank lever 26, to which is secured a rod 27. This rod by multiplication and intervening swinging arms 2S is finally connected with the togglelever rod 16 as seen in Fig. 1.

In the position of parts shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, it will be seen that if the key-lever 17 in the main-line be depressed, it will, through its connections, open the switch to the siding, and this movement, through the rods 16 and 27, will elevate the key-lever 24 of the siding. Then when the key-lever 24 is depressed, said lever, through its connections, will return the switch to the main-line, and in doing this will elevate the first key-lever 17, ready for use. To operate the key-levers 17 and 24, there is a depressing wheel 29, Fig. 3, which is carried by a depressible bar 30, which may be supposed to be pivotally connected at its end 3l with some suitable portion of the locomotive or car, say the trucks. From this bar extends upwardly through the floor 82 of the vehicle a push-bar 33, having a footrest 34 on its top. A spring-controlled pawl y35 firmly holds the push-bar down, and a spring 36 secured to the bar 30 automatically lifts the parts and holds them up when the pawl is released. Vhen approaching the switch, if it be desired to enter the siding, the operator presses down the wheel 29, where it is held by the pawl 35. In thisposition said wheel will come in contact, as shown in Fig. 2, with the key-lever 17 and will run it down, depressing it to open the switch to the siding, as hereto 'ore described. he'n the engine reaches the siding key-lever 24, the wheel 29 will run it down and return the switch to open the main-line. The spring 6 on the switch-rod 4, by yielding, will permit cars on the inain-track to run back over the switch point, if it is locked to the side track by the toggle lever. The spring 8 holds the slide 5 tightly up to its work, and the spring 9 allows cars on the siding to always pass on to the main-track. The ordinary hand-throw apparatus is not in any way affected by this mechanism, and it may be used simultaneously on the same switch, if desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. In combination with the throw-rails of a railroad switch, a switch-rod joining said rails, a slide upon said rod near one end, springs on said rod, one on each side of the slide and bearing against it, the other ends of the springs being secured to the rod, a toggle-lever having one of its extremities pivoted to a fixed point and the other extremity pivoted to the slide, a connecting rod secured to said toggle-lever at its angle, a key-lever in the track, and connections therefrom to the connecting rod of the toggle-lever, and means on the traveling vehicle for operating said key-lever.

2. In combination with the throw-rails of a railroad switch, a switch-rod joining said rails, a slide upon said rod near one end, springs on said rod, one on each side of the slide and bearing against it, the other ends of the springs being secured to the rod, a toggle-lever having one of its extremities pivoted to a fixed point and the other extremity pivoted to the slide, connecting rods secured to said toggle-lever at its angle and thence extending in opposite directions, key-levers in the road-bed, one in the main line in advance of the switch and the other in the siding beyond the switch, intervening oppositely acting connections between said key-levers and the connecting rods of the toggle-lever, and means on the traveling vehicle for operating said key-levers.

3. In combination with the throw-rails of a railroad switch, a switch-rod joining said rails, a slide upon said rod near one end, springs on said rod, one on each side of the slide and bearing against it, the other ends of the springs being secured to the rod, a

locking spring on the other end of the rod,

said spring having its outer end secured to the rod and its inner end to af'xed bearing, a toggle-lever having one of its extremities pivoted to a fixed point and the other ex-l tremity pivoted to the slide, a connecting rod secured to said toggle-lever at its angle, a key-lever in the track and connections therefrom to the connecting rod of the t0ggle-lever, and means on the traveling vehicle for operating said key-lever.

4. In combination 'with the throw-rails of a railroad switch, a switch-rod joining said rails, a slide upon said rod near one end, springs on said rod, one on each side of the slide and bearing against it, the other ends of the springs being secured to the rod, a locking spring on the other end of the rod, said spring having its outer end secured to the rod and its inner end to a fixed bearing, a toggle-lever having one of its extremities IIO IIS

pivoted to a fixed point and the other extremity pivoted to the slide7 connecting rods secured to said toggle-lever at its angle and thence extending in opposite directions, keylevers in the road-bed, one in the main line in advance of the switch and the other in the siding beyond the switch, intervening oppositely acting connections between said keylevers and the connecting rods of the toggle lever, and means on the traveling vehicle for 1o operating said key-levers.

In testimony whereof l have signed my naine to this speciication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELMER C. NORTHRUP. lVitnesses:

F. C. ANDERSON, JOHN FQHELERN. 

